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Negotiations to flog off the 007 licence itself has put the 007 series in limbo, which for movie-goers is no bad thing with such drab movies as Licence To Kill. But, as a computer game, Licence To Kill is undoubtedly the best of a series which began with the dire A View To A Kill (36%, Issue 4), improved steadily with Living Daylights (57%, Issue 29) and Live And Let Die (70%, Issue 46) but slumped badly after Licence To Kill with The Spy Who Loved Me (38%, Issue 69).

The indifferent plot concerns Bond hunting the evil drug dealer Sanchez, but it allows for six varied levels crammed into a single load. Cleverly, all levels use an overhead view, vertical scrolling perspective to save memory, but graphics and gameplay give a different feel for each.

Level one has Bond at the controls of a helicopter pursuing a speeding jeep. Gun installations must be dodged or taken out along the way. The level ends with Bond being dropped off to take out the criminals on foot.

This level is a tactical shoot-'em-up, where Bond weaves his way through obstacles while accurately picking off the baddies using a tricky but super-accurate aiming system.

Sanchez continues to evade capture by escaping in an airplane; Bond gives chase in a helicopter. Before Sanchez can land in Cuba, Bond decides to hang out of the copter by a rope which he plans to loop around the plane's tail! Dumb idea, good gameplay.

Level four is a simplistic shoot-'em-up where a swim-suited Bond makes his way through hordes of divers and speedboats, picking up cocaine (evidence) and remembering to breathe! Level five continues from here with Bond water-skiing behind a plane, dodging rocks and buoys to pull himself aboard. And finally we have a tanker chase with Bond commandeering one of Sanchez's drug smuggling juggernauts.

Robin was particularly impressed by so much being put into a single load: "the first few levels may seem a little dull graphically" but "sprite detail is very good" while "variety and playability (will) keep you playing for some time". Phil wasn't quite so enthusiastic: "none of the levels are outstanding - the appeal of the game lies in the sheer number of levels, and once you've completed it you may not return to the game too often".

At the new price, any question marks over lastability disappear: it's tough, varied and fun with attractive, effective graphics and lots of gameplay variety. In short, an essential purchase for 007 fans and recommended to shoot-'em-up fans generally.